Update: Unified Command Continue Response to Jireh Grounding

The Unified Command comprised of Coast Guard and other federal, state, local agencies and industry stakeholders continue to respond Sunday to the 185-foot cargo vessel Jireh, that grounded Thursday off Uvero Beach in Mona Island, Puerto Rico.

“Divers conducted underwater damage assessments surrounding the grounded vessel and found minimal coral impact in the area,” said Tom Moore, representative of NOAA’s Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (DARP).

Currently 800-feet of hard containment boom have been deployed around the vessel to limit any environmental impact in the area. At this time, there are no reports or signs of pollution in the water.

Due to weather conditions in the Mona Passage, response crews were unable to conduct any fuel removal operations. Coast Guard is conducting periodic aerial over flights to monitor on scene conditions.

“Since the initial notification, multiple Coast Guard and Incident Command crews have been on scene responding to the grounded vessel,” said Cmdr. David Berliner, Coast Guard Incident Commander to the response. “Our priority is to ensure the necessary steps are taken to protect the environment and safety of our crews as we continue to make preparations to remove approximately 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel and oily water mixture onboard.”